Continue To Live On
by Little Tsu
Summary: Ace's death had hit the hearts of many. However, there was one other that his death had made an impact just as harshly as it had on Luffy...And this someone had finally come ta his grave, two years after the tragedy... Rated for faint swearin'.


_Little Tsu: Ok, I've been rewatchin' One Piece lately & I'm currently at the point where Luffy reunited with his brother, Ace. Anyways, there's a few ideas that I came up with a long time ago back when I actually created my very first One Piece character & I'm kinda just see how things go. Of course all of these are most likely to be just one shots for One Piece; it depends on if my fellow readers & writers like this oc._

_Anyways, on with the show...I hope.x.x_

_Italics is flash back & 3rd person. Other is 1st person & person time._

**Continue To Live On**

It's really hard ta believe...

...Heh...

Who would've thought that you would actually die, huh?

...Certainly not me...

Staring at the graves before me that were surrounded by a mass of colorful flowers, there was one grave that stood out to me the most. It was the smaller of the two with a sheathed dagger and an orange hat with two facial expression pins hanging against the cross of the stone grave. Even without reading the name on the grave, anyone that knew you would reconigze who the grave belonged ta. That damn hat always did stand out...

Damn it...

Chuckling softly in a sour manner with my eyes gently closed, head tilted down, and a pitiful smile upon my face, I couldn' help but see the irony of all of this. When I first met you, I honestly couldn' stand you. You were always stronger than me...Always three steps ahead of me in overall skill even though we practically had the same devil fruit powers...Yes, there was only one of any devil fruit type in the world, but apparently there were also a few dark versions of some of the Logia Type fruits...I had found such a fruit it had turned out and yet, I was still no match for you...

_"Man, you are one kid that just doesn't know when ta give up." Sighing in exasperation, he rested a hand on the top of his hat while the other rested on his waist while staring down at the one in front of them that was currently panting for breath on their hands and knees. This had been their second time crossing paths in just the last week, but this time, the figure before him actually possessed devil fruit powers; a variation of his own in fact, much to his surprise at first. Watching them for a moment longer, he finally gave in and squatted down in front of them to be a bit more eye level if they were to lift their head while his arms rested casually on his knees. "You're still not strong enough ta beat me, you know...But I gotta hand it to ya...You're quite the fighter for someone your size kid."_

_The figure clentched their fists in the dirt at the continuation of being called a 'kid' and finally shot their head up, glaring up at the older man with fire in their bi-colored eyes; the left a deep sapphire blue while the other, a blazing ruby red. Their blue grey bangs fell into those burning eyes and all around their dirty and brused up face, though the rest of their hair somehow remained up into a short, high ponytail and the lower back portion being in a low braid that halted a few inches down their back. It was then, however, that they lashed out with their right hand, causing the older of the two to quickly leap back; dodging the attack as it was revealed to be a hand shaped into black flaming claws._

_"Shut up..."_

_Slowly pushing themselves up onto their feet, it was shown that the one who had just attacked wasn't just younger, but also quite considerably smaller too...In fact, the younger was very much a girl as her dark orange middrift showing top, short green jeans shorts, and tan colored boots that halted a few inches below their knees showed off every bit of their slender, yet petite frame that belied an immense amount of strength. The completion of her attire were tan fingerless gloves that were two different lengths - one longer than the other - and then green rimmed goggles that hung loosely around her neck like a necklace in a sense. What also seemed to stand out though was the sword on her back that had a purple clothed grip, matching purple sheath that was simple in design, and an equally simple looking guard. However, what looked normal on the outside, was deceiving for what was on the inside as within the sheath lay hidden a blade that was as black as the very flames she weilded; a demon blade, one would say..._

_Managing to catch their breath, the young girl narrowed her eyes into mere slits as she suddenly pushed off and lashed out with her flames yet again, only to be effortlessly countered by the man before her by an engulfment of orange flames from his own hand as he grinned in a cocky fashion down at her. This only seemed to irritate her all the more as she lashed out with her other hand, which was this time actually caught in the man's own other hand by the wrist. Blinking slightly at this, the young girl growled and struggled to break free. "Grr...Let me go you big jerk!"_

_Actually laughing at this, the man shook his head before grinning cheekily down at her. "You definately have a lot of guts, I'll give you that...Not ta mention stubborn as hell. You remind me a lot of my little brother."_

_It was that last tiny bit that he said that had caused the girl to calm down some and relax in his grip. However, as he released her, thinking she wasn't going to fight anymore, she gave him a punch in the stomach out of pure stubborness before huffing lightly and crossing her arms over her chest as she scowled lightly and glanced off to the side. "Don' get so damn cocky with me just cause I can't beat you yet."_

_Grunting lightly as he held his stomach for a moment, the black haired young man chuckled lightly before peeking a grey eye open slightly to stare at the young teen before him with a slight smile on his features. "Right. We'll see about that...So...Ya got a name kid?"_

_Her right ruby eye twitched faintly at the fact that he called her a kid again despite the fact that he was only five years older than herself before casting a glance up at him out of the corners of her eyes. The smile on his face was slightly pained from the punch she had given him a second ago, but...at the same time, the genuineness of that slight smile also showed that he really was curious to know her name._

_"...Pheonix..."_

It was since then that everytime we happened to cross paths that we'd actually take the time to chat a bit, but also to fight, though it was never anything serious. However, no matter how much stronger I got,...you also seemed to still stay those last few steps ahead of me...It was so frustrating cause you were my goal...I strived to beat you someday...As that year went on though and the crossings between us grew a bit more frequent than it used to be, I started to get confused. The times we had crossed paths weren't all that often, yet...in the later portion of the year we had known each other, I began to notice that I was seeing you on every island I visited in the Grand Line.

Almost as if...

You were waiting for me...

_Arriving on one of the Fall Islands that were within the Grand Line, Pheonix sighed softly to herself as she leaped off of her boat, which was powered by her flames; practically the same kind that Portgas D. Ace used to get around when he went off solo, though her's was an intense shade of dark blue. Glancing around herself a bit to take in her surroundings, she spotted a village in the slight distance that was built all along the hill directly ahead, but what she also noticed, was at the port further to her left that lead up the along the hill and through the village was a small skimmer boat like her own; one that she knew all too well._

_Narrowing her eyes slightly at this in confusion, she walked over to the port and leaped up onto the stone wall that she had been on the other side of as she squatted there in a manner similar to how Ace tended to sit on railings and such. "...So that flamehead is here too?...The hell?"_

_"You know, if I wasn't so sure of myself, I'd swear you were followin' me."_

_The sudden voice directly behind her caused Pheonix to squeal lightly in startlement, only to slip off of the stone wall and crash to the stone ground of the peer and walkway a bit below her. Groaning slightly in aching pain at the tumble she took, she slowly peeked an eye open, only to see a grinning cheekily young man standing there on the other side of the wall with his arms crossed and resting right where she had been perched just seconds ago. "What the-? Ace! You jerk! What the hell was that for?!"_

_Ace couldn't help but laugh at the reaction he got out of the teen as he tossed his head back some in his laughter. As he calmed back down though, he drifted his grey depths down at the younger girl below him and grinned once more. "Sorry about that Pheonix, but I couldn't exactly resist. You're pretty easy ta startle when you're so deep in your own thoughts, though sometimes that's not exactly a good thing. After all, what if I had been an enemy after your pretty little head?"_

_Blinking slightly at those remarks, Pheonix blushed faintly at the 'pretty' comment before pushing herself back up onto her feet and glared defiantly up at him. "I'll have you know that I can sense danger so I wouldn've been caught by surprise by an enemy, thank you very much."_

_"Oh really now?" A smirk suddenly crossed onto his features as his eyes narrowed a bit slyly and leaned forward a bit to get a little closer to the girl before him. "And what exactly does that make me then?"_

_Caught slightly off guard by this, she seemed to be a bit surprised by that question in particular. What was Ace, if not an enemy? Thinking on this for a moment, she finally glanced off to the side and shrugged faintly. "I dunno...I guess you're my friend in a sense..." Shaking her head after saying this, she then brought her gaze back up at the still smirking pirate before her. "Also, I haven' been followin' you at all, though I'm wonderin' how the hell I seem ta be runnin' into you on every island I land on now lately. Maybe it's **you** that's technically followin' **me**."_

_Staring down at the girl for a moment in silence, Ace then closed his eyes and chuckled lightly before opening them back up a bit and smirking once more in an almost taunting, yet teasing manner._

_"Would that be such a bad thing?"_

Looking back on that day and the question you had asked me,...I can honestly say it wasn't a bad thing at all. In fact, I had grown to secretly like all the times we met. Even during the times you were off searching for that Blackbeard. You told me all about that pirate. Who he was, what he had done, everything. I had told you that I could come along and help, but you turned it down, saying that it was your responsibility to take care of him yourself...Because he had been part of your Division; working under you.

Such an idiot you were...I had wanted to go with you damn it. I wanted to help you cause I couldn' shake the feeling that something bad would happen once you finally found him...

_"Ace, don't be such a stubborn jerk! Let me come with you! I can help!" Pheonix stood there with her hands clenched tightly into fists while her sword rested against her back where it usually remained. She rarely used it nowadays, but in a really serious fight, she brought it out; combining it with her flames as the demon blade was unharmed by the intense heat of her black devil fruit power. The man before her had his back to her currently; the tattoo that showed he was part of the Whitebeard Pirates seeming to just stare right back at her for him. Clenching her teeth tightly at this in frustration, she yelled out his name once more. "Ace!"_

_That time, the twenty-year-old pryo user turned his head and glanced down and behind himself from over his shoulder slightly towards the recently turned fifteen-year-old pirate. His eyes were heavy lidded and almost seemed a bit guilty and upset by this. He knew that he was causing this anger within the younger girl that he had come to know greatly over the past year and a half almost, but he couldn't bring himself to let her come with him. It was too risky; he knew that much and just like with his little brother, Luffy, if anything were to happen to the girl behind him, he'd never beable to forgive himself. Ace knew she was strong, but he just couldn't risk it...Not even the slightest bit..._

_However, as he thought about this, he heard the angered 'tch' sound come from the young pirate before she finally turned around and began to storm off. Watching her retreating back was actually painful and the thought of the girl actually hating him was even moreso. It was because of those two things though that he whirled around and quickly went after her; grasping firmly onto her wrist as he reached out._

_Pheonix growled at the hand suddenly halting her and turned halfway around to yell at the man to release her. "Ace, you jerk! Let me g-!" That was as far as she managed to get as her eyes suddenly widened in shock and she stood there stock frozen in place. What had caused her to halt in mid sentence was the sudden feel of surprisingly soft lips pressed against her own as she was pulled against the quite a bit taller, toned body; the free hand of the one kissing her bringing itself to rest against her slender waist to hold her in place. She didn't return it, but at the same time, she didn't dare break away either. She didn't even try to._

_Slowly breaking the kiss, Ace opened up his eyes a bit and gazed down into the shocked and confused filled bi-colored depths of the teen he held against him. He couldn't figure out quite when he actually started feeling this way about the girl, but he knew that one of the causes for it were those very eyes of hers that drew him in...Those unique ruby and sapphire bi-colored eyes. Remaining silent for a moment as he tried to make sure to take in every detail of her face, he allowed himself to lean down once more and brush his lips featherlightly against her own briefly this time before pulling away completely as he stepped back some. "I'm sorry Pheonix, but this really is something I have to do alone...I know you're strong, but I just can't risk putting you in that kinda danger...You're too important to me."_

_Then, before she could react, Ace turned back around and hurried off, heading to the peer that his boat was docked at. All she could do was stand there as she watched his figure fade into the distance while calling out to her one last time. However, it was these words that would follow her for the rest of her life..._

_"I'll find you again Pheonix! I promise!"_

Kneeling down at the base of your grave, I closed my eyes gently as I chuckled to myself again. I honestly believed you...I thought you were strong enough to handle just about anything.

...So why?

...Why did you lie?

Tears had finally filled the corners of my eyes at this point; threatening to fall, but at this point in time, I couldn't care less even if I had wanted ta. Those words you had yelled out to me with echos within my head so often and even sometimes haunts my very dreams...**You**...haunt my dreams...

Clenching my fists slightly, I shake my head and sigh softly. I must look pretty pathetic; beating myself up over this...I was there, you know...At Navy Headquarters. I was fighting right along side of your little brother, your crew, the Whitebeard pirates, and plenty of others. Then again, I'm sure you aren't surprised by that. I knew that you knew I was there; fighting with everything I had ta help in savin' you...

If...If only I had been stronger...

_The sight of seeing Ace get struck by Admiral Akainu with a fist engulfed in lava was a sight that seemed to unfold in slow motion. He had just ultimately sacrifised his own life in order to save his little brother. The mere thought of Ace dieing struck Pheonix hard and as she stood there for a moment, watching as Luffy held onto his bleeding brother as he begged him to hold on, she felt a slow crack forming within her heart as she faintly heard the words that Ace was speaking to his brother. It was the final words he spoke though - yelling them out for all of his nakama to hear - that that slowly forming crack suddenly shattered as she watched the man slowly fall out of Luffy's arms; hitting the ground below in a puddle of blood._

_Crying out in pure rage, Pheonix rushed in as Akainu went to strike a killing blow on the unconscious and distraught Luffy; lashing out at the much older man as she unsheathed her sword as the black blade ignited into flames. "You murderer! I'll kill you for what you did ta Ace!" Fury and sudden anguish fueled the girl as she fought against Akainu, which in turn had bought Jimbe enough time to scoop up Luffy and rush off to retreat as was everyone else. However, it was the sudden feel of talons grasping her shoulders that caused her asault to jerk to a halt as she was lifted into the air by Marco in his half formed phoenix mode from his Mythical Zoan Type Devil Fruit._

_As she was carried away quickly by the First Division Leader, she weakly tried to struggle out of his firm grasp; to get back to Akainu so she could get revenge. In fact, she would've still been struggling if not for the sudden heartache filled words that escaped the man's mouth while tears tears streamed down his cheeks over the loss of Ace as well as his captain, Whitebeard. "Pheonix, I know how angry you are towards this, but...Ace wouldn't want you to throw your life away. He would want you to live on...Please..."_

_Tears finally filled her own eyes at this and she stopped her struggling all together as she glanced back behind her to where Ace's lifeless body laid in the distance. It was a hard reality to accept and she would never again beable to try and beat him in a fight, but that last bit didn't matter anymore to her...It had taken her until just moments ago to realize that the man known as Portgas D. Ace had somehow wormed his way into her heart..._

_...And now he would never get to know..._

A few tears finally escaped as they dropped onto the ground below before I lifted my longer gloved hand and wiped away the tears before lifting my head to stare at the engraving of your name on the headstone. I never did get to beat you Ace...I've gotten a lot stronger over the last two years since your death...I'm still having trouble coping with it though, you know?...It still hurts whenever I dream about you. But you know?...It's gotten a tiny bit easier to manage. I don't let it get to me during any fights. I'm still on my own though as a pirate, but I think I might join your little brother's crew at some point. That way, I can watch over him for you.

Sighing softly to myself, I slowly rose up onto my feet and turned around as I lifted a hand and shifted my hat a bit on my head. My attire hadn't changed none and neither had my hair style, but I did lose the goggles in favor of wearing a hat similar to your own and even with those same pins on it, though mine were more off to the side and my hat was also black and most of the time hung down against my back and the sheath of my sword. As I walked off though, I halted a ways away from the grave and turned my head to glance over my shoulder towards your grave one last time as I smiled faintly. "...Thank you for all the times we spent Ace. I'll continue ta live of for the both of us...Oh yeah...And before I forget Ace, you jerk..."

I then closed my eyes gently and managed to bring a cheerful smile onto my features. "I love you."

Opening my eyes back up, I could've sworn I saw you standing there before me at your grave with your arms crossed over your chest and a cocky smirk playing on your feature for an instant in time before vanishing. Staring at the grave for a moment longer, I finally faced the front again as I headed off ta where my little boat was. As I did though, a faint warm breeze blew around me and what sounded like words whisped with the breeze causing another faint smile to form onto my lips with my head tilted down slightly; the rim of my hat shadowing my bi-colored eyes.

"I love you too..."

**END.**

_Little Tsu: Ok, that's the end of this. Hope ya'll enjoy it. This was basically an insight on how Pheonix thought about the death of our very own Fire Fist Ace & also some memories that she remembered as well from her time with him. If ya'll like this OC, I'll put up more One Piece stories, though there might end up being two different variations with Pheonix as sometimes she will end up with Ace(probably gonna end up bein' a favorite of readers) & sometimes possibly Zolo due to the fact that they're both stubborn as hell & would tend to clash & refuse that they even feel anythin' for each other, but secretly actually do. lol_

_Anyways, please let me know what ya thought of it. This was my first attempt at a One Piece fic, but please no flames towards my little idea towards black devil fruit...Or at least go easy on me...x.x_


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